(Long Island, NY) Sustainable Long Island announced today the appointment of Ann Fangmann, AICP as its new Executive Director. The appointment is effective immediately.

“Ann brings a wealth of knowledge, guidance, and creativity to Sustainable Long Island along with a deep-rooted sense of commitment to our region’s sustainability sector,” said Charlotte Biblow, Sustainable Long Island Board President. “On behalf of the Board of Directors, I am delighted to officially welcome Ann as Executive Director and have great faith that she will continue to help move forward Sustainable Long Island’s mission of advancing economic development, environmental health, and social equity.”

Sustainable Long Island announced today the appointment of Ann Fangmann, AICP as its new Executive Director. The appointment is effective immediately. Photo Credit: Sustainable Long Island.

Ms. Fangmann grew up on Long Island and following graduate school, continued her career as a Planner in the Nassau County Planning Department and later the Department of Public Works. While there, Fangmann worked on transit, transportation, and downtown revitalization projects of regional significance. Ms. Fangmann’s next position was as a Senior Planner at D&B Engineers and Architects, P.C., specializing in transportation, environmental and land use planning, in addition to grant development and management. While at D&B, Fangmann worked extensively with the City of Glen Cove, administrating State and Federal grants for transportation projects and the City’s waterfront redevelopment program.

Ms. Fangmann first joined Sustainable Long Island in February 2015, when she was hired to be the Director of Programs. In that role, she was responsible for directing several concurrent programs in areas, such as economic development and community revitalization, facilitating redevelopment of brownfields and vacant properties, environmental health and justice, community health and wellness, transportation linkages, and food access and equity issues island-wide.

Ms. Fangmann is a certified planner by the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP), has a Masters Degree in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Delaware, and is proficient in GIS. In addition to serving as Secretary of the American Planning Association Long Island Section, Ms. Fangmann is involved with a number of professional organizations in the regional area.

“It’s an honor to lead Sustainable Long Island into the future as the work of this organization is needed now more than ever,” said Fangmann. “Sustainable Long Island remains at the forefront of bringing diverse groups together to positively transform communities across the region and I am excited by our important work ahead.”

About Sustainable Long Island
Sustainable Long Island is a nonprofit organization advancing sustainability through community revitalization, brownfield redevelopment, and food access initiatives. Sustainable Long Island connects public and private resources and expertise with communities that need them the most while promoting economic development, environmental health, and social equity. Sustainable Long Island is located at 399 Conklin Street, Suite 202, Farmingdale, NY 11735. For further information, call (516)-873-0230, visit www.sustainableli.org or follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

(Long Island, NY) For more than 316,000 Long Islanders, putting a meal on the table has become an everyday challenge. The holiday season, usually a time for joy and cheer, presents an additional burden for families often forced to choose between buying food and paying for medicine, housing, utilities and other essential expenses.

“Nassau and Suffolk residents are faced with among the highest costs of living in the country, creating an unimaginable hardship for many to provide themselves and their families with something as basic as food,” said Randi Shubin Dresner, president and CEO, Island Harvest Food Bank, a leading Long Island hunger-relief organization. “It’s hard to imagine that, in an area of wealth and prosperity, there is so much hunger. We have families working two and three jobs, just to make ends meet, and they still don’t earn enough to provide their children with the nutritious food needed to maintain a healthy and active life.”

To help make the upcoming holiday season more hopeful, and provide nutritious holiday-style meals for those who struggle with not having enough to eat, Island Harvest Food Bank today announced the kickoff of its annual Turkey and Trimmings Collection Campaign.

Island Harvest needs to raise funds and food not just to help people during the holidays, but to continue to provide year-round support to its network of nearly 570 registered agencies, which includes pantries, soup kitchens, shelters, schools and community centers. In addition, the organization’sCenter for Targeted Populations directly assists senior citizens and veterans through specialized mobile food pantries, and its Kids Weekend Backpack Feeding and Summer Feeding Service programs provide supplemental, nutritious food to school-aged children who rely on school breakfast and lunch programs, but may not get enough to eat when school is not in session.

Between now and the end of the year, there will be numerous food drives, including Long Island’s largest one-day frozen turkey and food drive, the 7th Annual Bethpage Turkey Drive, which will take place on Wednesday, November 18, 2015, from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. The drive will be held at Bethpage Federal Credit Union’s headquarters, located at 899 South Oyster Bay Road in Bethpage, and sponsored by Bethpage Federal Credit Union, Cablevision and Connoisseur Media. Among the items needed are nonperishable food items (such as rice and pasta); canned goods (no glass jars or containers); shelf-stable milk and juice; frozen turkeys; canned meats; supermarket gift cards; and cash donations.  Companies, organizations and individuals are encouraged to bring donations from their own food drives to the Bethpage event as well.

Frozen turkeys and nonperishable food may also be dropped off during the Turkey and Trimmings Collection Campaign at any Long Island Panera Bread location, or Bristal Assisted Living facility in Nassau or Suffolk counties.  The campaign is also generously supported by NBTY, Astoria Bank, Long Island Board of Realtors, the Nassau County Police Benevolent Association, Long Island Pulse Magazine, and Herald Community Newspapers.

“We’ve always been extremely grateful for the generosity of Long Islanders who have come to the assistance of their neighbors in need. We realize that many families are struggling because of the economy, so we are grateful for any donation we receive, no matter how small,” concluded Ms. Shubin Dresner.

For information on other food drives across Long Island, or to learn how you can help Island Harvest, including by creating a food drive at your school, workplace or house of worship, visit www.islandharvest.org.

About Hunger on Long Island
Hunger is a state in which people do not get enough food to provide the nutrients for active and healthy lives. It can result from the recurrent and involuntary lack of access to food. More than 316,000 Long Islanders face the risk of hunger every day, according to Island Harvest andFeeding America, a national hunger-relief organization. These are often hard-working adults, children, seniors and veterans who cannot always make ends meet and are often forced to go without food. Approximately 70,000 individuals seek food assistance in Nassau and Suffolk counties each week through soup kitchens, food pantries and other feeding programs served by Island Harvest.

About Island Harvest Food Bank
Island Harvest Food Bank is a leading hunger-relief organization that provides food and other resources to people in need. Always treating those it helps with dignity and respect, its goal is to end hunger and reduce poverty on Long Island through efficient food collection and distribution; enhanced hunger-awareness and nutrition-education programs; job training; and direct services targeted at children, senior citizens, veterans and others at risk. Approximately 94 cents of every dollar donated to Island Harvest goes to programs that support more than 316,000 Long Islanders. Island Harvest is a lead agency in the region’s emergency-response preparedness for food and product distribution, and is a member of Feeding America, the nation’s leading domestic hunger-relief charity. More information can be found at www.islandharvest.org.

Remind Senator of Former Commitment to Trans Rights

(Long Island, NY) The Long Island Transgender Advocacy Coalition (LITAC) strongly criticizes comments made by GOP Senate Majority Leader John Flanagan when he said he believed Gov. Andrew Cuomo overstepped his authority earlier in the month when Cuomo used executive action to expand legal protections for transgender people.

LITAC Executive Director Juli Grey-Owens said “Senator Flanagan needs to take a look in the mirror.  His recent comments regarding Governor Cuomo overstepping his authority belies the fact that he has told constituents for years the he would vote for the Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act (GENDA) if it ever came to the floor for a vote.  The bill has been passed by the State Assembly eight years in a row yet the Senate has failed even to bring the bill to the floor!  In the meantime, transgender citizens face rampant discrimination in housing, employment, and public accommodations – like being refused a seat in a restaurant.”

Grey-Owens continued “This year as Majority Leader, Flanagan had the ability to bring the GENDA bill to the floor for a vote in a non-election year but failed to do so.  It was this blatant refusal to consider civil rights for a severely oppressed community that forced the Governor to act.  Perhaps it’s time for Senator Flanagan to re-evaluate his stance on civil rights.  His failure to support Marriage Equality in 2011 was a major embarrassment.  His non-support for GENDA continues this disturbing trend.  It is time to elect someone who will stand with LGBT people, not against them. If he is not going to stand up for all New Yorkers, we will fight to elect someone else who will in 2016.”

Governor Cuomo announced the Executive Action at the Empire State Pride Agenda Fall Dinner on October 22nd.   Cuomo said that he would direct the State Division of Human Rights to issue regulations that would extend protections against discrimination in the areas of housing, employment and public accommodations.   The plan would cover all New Yorkers.

LITAC, the Long Island Transgender Advocacy Coalition is a not-for-profit social justice organization dedicated to advancing the equality of transgender people through advocacy, teaching and empowerment.

(Long Island, NY) On December 13, at 2:00 p.m., Le Petit Salon de Musique will welcome the season with a special performance by The Holiday Trio.  The Trio is comprised of three outstanding local chamber orchestra performers, violinist Beatrice Flipse, flutist Sally Shorrock, and cellist Tiffany Jordan, who have come together to play some of the world’s most beautiful and well-known classical music of the holidays.

Beatrice Flipse is an accomplished musician and educator with an advanced degree in Orchestral Conducting, who serves on the Board of the Long Island String Festival Association.  For the past four years, she has also piloted the new Chamber Music Festival.  She is a member of the Prima Quartet and performs as a violinist for orchestras across Long Island.  Flipse has served as the orchestra director of the Uniondale High School orchestra program since 2007 and her students have been recognized internationally in competitions.  Sally Shorrock grew up in a musical family, including an uncle who sang lead tenor with the New York City Opera. She has an advanced degree in performance and plays with the Canta Libre Chamber Ensemble at classical music festivals throughout the northeast.  She is a member of the music faculty of St. Joseph’s College.  The trio is completed by outstanding cellist Tiffany Jordan, who has played for theatrical productions across the region for more than 20 years.

On December 13, at 2:00 p.m., Le Petit Salon de Musique will welcome the season with a special performance by The Holiday Trio. Photo Credit: Le Petit Salon de Musique.

These three talented chamber music performers have created a festive holiday musical celebration that includes the beloved Haydn London Trios, Brandenberg Concerto No. 5 by J.S. Bach, Mozart trios, Blues for flute, violin and cello, an adventurous newly composed piece by Gary Schocker, as well as merry songs of the season including a Nutcracker Suite medley.  Join us and be carried into the holiday spirit by the most beautiful sounds of this amazing trio.

Tickets for this event are $20 at the door or $15 online at www.lepetitsalon.org.  Tickets for seniors are $15 at the door or $10 online and for students are $5.  Le Petit Salon de Musique is located at 380 Nicolls Rd., East Setauket, NY and is sponsored by the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship at Stony Brook (www.uufsb.org), a non-profit religious organization whose mission includes support for social and economic justice.  All proceeds are used to fund UUFSB and its mission.

Featuring Unique Handmade Items & Gifts Created by Long Island Artists

(Long Island, NY) East End Arts is pleased to announce the grand opening of their Annual Holiday Gift Boutique: Saturday, November 14, 2015, at the East End Arts Gallery, located at 133 E. Main Street in Riverhead, NY. Gorgeous handmade ornaments, one-of-a-kind jewelry and wearables, and unique knits and crafts will fill the East End Arts three galleriesfrom top to bottom as visitors from all over Long Island come to the Gallery to buy exclusive and artistic gifts, perfect for gift-giving during the holiday season, at a wide variety of price points. East End Arts Holiday Gift Boutique prides itself on the very large selection of beautiful hand-crafted heirloom ornaments – an ideal gift that will be remembered year-after-year. All items in the Holiday Gift Boutique are unique creations by East End Arts member-artists – this year over 35 local artists will be participating. The Holiday Gift Boutique will open on Saturday, November 14 and will run through Wednesday, December 23. The extended shopping hours of the Holiday Gift Boutique will be Tuesdays through Sundays from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM.

This year’s Grand Opening day will take place on Saturday, November 14, from 12:00 to 6:00 PM in the East End Arts Gallery. At the Grand Opening, guests will have the opportunity to meet the artists and find the perfect pieces for holiday gift giving, before they sell out!

For more information, visit http://www.eastendarts.org/programs/events/holiday-boutique.html or contact the East End Arts Gallery at 631-727-0900.

East End Arts, established in 1972, is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit arts organization, and operates a School of the Arts, an Art Gallery, and presents a variety of events and programs to promote the arts year-round. Proceeds from all events, sales, classes, donations, and memberships benefit the mission and commitment to building and enriching our community through the arts by way of education, support, advocacy, and inspiration.

(Long Island, NY) The baseball action inside Citi Field has settled in for a long winter’s nap, but the rest of the borough is alive and kicking with a wide array of fun things to do, including brand new theater, Korean film, live music, Kristallnacht-related discussions, smashing pumpkins, and a Diwali motorcade. Here’s the rundown.

Nov. 5, World Premiere of Carefully Taught, through Nov. 21. This modern-day drama centers on the friendship of two schoolteachers–one black and one white. Their bond is shaken when one loses her job, and questions of loyalty and unspoken prejudice rise to the surface. Showtimes are Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 8 pm with 2 pm Saturday matinees. $18. Astoria Performing Arts Center at Good Shepherd United Methodist Church, 30-44 Crescent St., Astoria, www.apacny.org.

Nov. 5, Dalton Trumbo, 8 pm. The charismatic, strong-willed screenwriter Dalton Trumbo won two Academy Awards while he was blacklisted: one under a pseudonym and one using a front. The decision to give him proper screen credit on Spartacus finally broke the Hollywood blacklist. The new feature film Trumbo dramatizes his story. $30. Museum of the Moving Image, 36-01 35th Ave., Kaufman Arts District, www.movingimage.us.

Nov. 6, New York Korean Film Festival, through Nov. 11. This 13th annual festival showcases the Asian nation’s cinema doing what it does best: the crime thriller, the romantic fantasy, and feverish erotica. At varying times, nine moves will screen. $20 opening night/$12 afterward. Museum of the Moving Image, 36-01 35th Ave., Kaufman Arts District, www.movingimage.us.

Nov. 6, NEA Jazz Masters Concert, 8 pm. Featuring Jimmy Heath and Barry Harris joined by Michael Mossman (trumpet), Steve Davis (trombone) and Bob Cranshaw (bass), this concert presents music from the catalogues of jazz icons Miles Davis and Cannonball Adderley as well as other jazz standards. $42. Flushing Town Hall, 137-35 Northern Blvd., www.flushingtownhall.org.

Nov. 6, Pajama Party with Virgil the Turkey, 6:30 pm. Wear pajamas, learn about turkeys, meet a live turkey, and hear turkey tales from a professional interactive storyteller. $16, registration is required. Alley Pond Environmental Center, 228-06 Northern Blvd., Douglaston, www.alleypond.com.

Nov. 7, Diwali Motorcade, 4 pm. Celebrate the Hindu Festival of Lights with chanting, dancing, music, food, and a motorcade. Free. Liberty Avenue and 133rd Street, Richmond Hill, www.diwalimotorcade.com.

Nov. 7, Dark Bargain Talk, 3 pm. Lawrence Goldstone discusses his book, Dark Bargain: Slavery, Profits and the Struggle for the Constitution, which highlights the events leading up to the Constitutional Convention as well as the pivotal role of slavery in the forging of this important document. Readers are able to visualize Rufus King’s outspoken nature regarding the proportion of representatives in northern free states versus southern slave states. Free. King Manor Museum, 150-03 Jamaica Ave., Jamaica, www.kingmanor.org.

Nov. 7, NYC Compost Project: Pumpkin Smash 2015, 10 am to 2 pm. Bring your own pumpkins, Jack-O-Lanterns and gourds…and smash them. The NYC compost project will convert them into compost for city parks and green spaces. Free. Lou Lodati Playground, Skillman Avenue and 43rd Street, Sunnyside, www.queensbotanical.org/programs/events.

Nov. 7, Another Land, 1 pm. Artist Leah Raintree discusses her photographic series Another Land, a body of work that takes as its point of departure a 1968 sculpture of the same name by Isamu Noguchi. She considers the evolution of space-imaging technology alongside increased understanding of human impact on the earth and how these lines of inquiry influence artistic production. The talk is followed by a viewing of Another Land at Socrates Sculpture Park. Noguchi Museum, 9-01 33rd Road, LIC, www.noguchi.org.

Nov. 7, Rhythm Meets Gospel: Conjunto Kathari, 2:30 pm. A collaborative effort of African-Latino rhythms from the Caribbean joined with Gospel to create a musical extravaganza. Free. Highland Avenue Church, 160-20 Highland Ave., Jamaica, www.queenscouncilarts.org.

Nov. 7, RAM Presents: Groundings & Imaginings, 8 pm. Event showcases enduring trios and duos for winds, strings, piano, and electronics by RAM composers Guy Barash, David Fetherolf, Gilbert Galindo, David Schober, and B. Allen Schulz and musical performances by Edward Schocker and Asha Srinivasan. Other performers are Laura Falzon on flute, Thomas Piercy on clarinet, Kate Dillingham on cello, and Amir Khosrowpour on piano with special guest violinist Sabina Torosjan. $15. Broom Tree Theatre, 23-35 Broadway, Astoria, www.ram-nyc.org.

Nov. 7, Frederick Wiseman Retrospective: High School II, 3 pm. Legendary documentary filmmaker Wiseman has made nine feature-length documentaries on NYC. High School II offers an optimistic view on the future of public education. Focusing on Central Park East Secondary School—a successful, racially diverse alternative high school in Spanish Harlem, where 85-95% of graduates go on to four-year colleges—the film highlights the school’s administration and approach to learning, which places emphasis on intellectual curiosity, speculation, interdisciplinary study, and open discussions of race, class, and gender inequalities. $12. Museum of the Moving Image, 36-01 35th Ave., Kaufman Arts District, www.movingimage.us.

Nov. 7-8, Wildlife Weekends, 11 am to 4 pm. Admission includes birds-of-prey show, frogs, bugs, hayrides, pony rides, and animal feeding. $9. Queens County Farm Museum, 73-50 Little Neck Pkwy., Floral Park, www.queensfarm.org.

Nov. 8, Walking Tour of Forest Hills, 1 pm. A guided tour of one of NYC’s most desirable residential neighborhoods with Adrienne Onofri, a travel writer, licensed sightseeing guide and author of a book about exploring Queens. $20. Get info at www.walkingtourforesthills.eventbrite.com.

Nov. 8, Be Kind Rewind, 4:30 pm. Introduced by Pierre Bismuth and followed by a conversation with Bismuth and Robert M. Rubin, Be Kind Rewind is about a man who accidentally creates a magnetic field that erases a store’s videotapes. He and a friend set out to re-create the most popular titles in the store’s inventory. $12. Museum of Moving Image, 36-01 35th Ave., Kaufman Arts District, www.movingimage.us.

Nov. 8, Face the Music Concert Series, 1 pm. Face the Music, the borough’s only youth ensemble committed to creating and performing music by living composers, debuts its first of a four-concert series. $8. Queens Museum, NYC Building, Flushing Meadows Corona Park, www.queensmuseum.org.

Nov. 8, Concert and Comedian, 2:30 pm to 5:30 pm. Original Jewish folk music and jazz rock followed by a Jewish stand-up show. $20. Rego Park Jewish Center, 97-30 Queens Blvd., Rego Park, 718-459-1000.

Nov. 9, Kristallnacht Talk on Hitler’s Children, 1 pm. Kristallnacht, which is considered to be the opening event of the Holocaust, took place in November 1938. It is marked by a screening of Hitler’s Children, followed by a talk by German literature professor Roland Dollinger. This award-winning documentary tells the stories of the descendants of the most powerful Nazi leaders and their dealings with guilt. $8 suggested donation. Central Queens Y, 67-09 108th St., Forest Hills, www.cqy.org.

Nov. 10, Kristallnacht Commemoration, 6:30 pm. Survivors of various genocides – Hanne Liebmann, Holocaust; Jacqueline Murekatete, Rwanda; Adisada Dudic, Bosnia — participate in a panel discussion to mark Kristallnacht, the violent anti-Jewish pogroms that took place in November 1938. Free, but RSVP requested. Kupferberg Holocaust Resource Center, 222-05 56th Ave., Bayside, www.qcc.cuny.edu/khrca.

Nov. 11, Senior Film Series: The Other Son, 2 pm to 6 pm. Screened as part of a nine-week series that expands on the themes of freedom, construction of narratives and collision of cultures, The Other Son tells the story of two young men, one Israeli and one Palestinian, who discover they were accidentally switched at birth. $8. Queens Museum, NYC Building, Flushing Meadows Corona Park, www.queensmuseum.org.

Nov. 11, Interfaith Dialogue with Muslim, Jewish and Catholic Leaders, 5:45 pm. A panel discussion on climate change with Queens College professor Stephen Pekar, Sister Carol DeAngelo, Daisy Khan, and Rabbi Lawrence Troster, followed by short workshops leading to action in the community. $5 requested donation. Queens College Rathaus Black Box Theatre, 65-30 Kissena Blvd., Flushing, www.cqy.org/climate.

Nov. 11 – 14, Michelle Ellsworth: Clytigation: State of Exception, 8 pm. This multi-media performance/installation incorporates a box, a bike, a typewriter, and a coin-operated choreography generator. With a body double, an ancient text, and some modern technology, the performance investigates the impact of wars on bodies and legal protocols. Chocolate Factory, 5-49 49th Ave., LIC, www.chocolatefactorytheater.org.

The “It’s In Queens” column is produced by the Queens Tourism Council with the hope that readers will enjoy the borough’s wonderful attractions. More info at www.itsinqueens.com.

(Long Island, NY) Suffolk County Police arrested a man who stabbed and killed his mother’s live-in boyfriend in Holbrook on Saturday, October 31.

Rakien Hall and Oscar Green were engaged in an altercation in the apartment they shared in Holbrook, when Hall stabbed Green in the neck at approximately 5:55 p.m. last night. Hall fled the apartment on foot. This morning at approximately 8:50 a.m. Sixth Precinct officers located and arrested Hall.

Suffolk County Police arrested Rakien Hall, 31, of Holbrook who stabbed and killed his mother’s live-in boyfriend in Holbrook on Saturday, October 31. Photo Credit: SCPD.

Green, 47, was transported to Stony Brook University Medical Center where he was pronounced dead.

Homicide detectives charged Hall, 31, with Manslaughter 1st Degree. Hall will be held overnight at the Sixth Precinct and is scheduled to be arraigned at First District Court in Central Islip on November 2.

The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty. Defendants are entitled to a fair trial with the burden on the prosecution to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

(Long Island, NY) Suffolk County Police Third Squad detectives are investigating a shooting that occurred in Central Islip on Saturday, October 31.

Amos Michael was standing outside near the Palace Plaza shopping center, located on Elm Street and Lowell Avenue, talking to friends at approximately 9:30 p.m. when he heard multiple gunshots. When Amos ran into one of the stores for safety, he discovered that he had been shot in the right leg.

Suffolk County Police are investigating a shooting that occurred in Central Islip on Saturday, October 31. Photo Credit: Chris Boyle.

Amos was taken by a relative to Southside Hospital in Bay Shore and police were called at approximately 10:35 p.m. Amos, 27, of Central Islip, was treated for a minor injury to his leg and released.

This investigation is ongoing and detectives are asking anyone with information about this incident to contact the Third Squad at 631-854-8352 or call anonymously to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-220-TIPS.

(Long Island, NY) On October 28^th in Astoria, Queens Borough President Melinda Katz installed the fiscal year 2015-2016 Queens Council on the Arts Board of Trustees and its new Junior Board of Trustees, now in its second year.

Hosted at QCA’s headquarters in Astoria, Borough President Katz spoke at length on QCA’s programs, the important role of Queens art and culture as major economic engines, and her longstanding support of the organization’s work. Her father, David, was a well-known conductor who founded the Queens Symphony Orchestra in 1953, and her mother, Jeanne Dale, was a singer who created Queens Council on the Arts in 1966.

Pictured from top left: Morgan Jones, Senior Emergency Management Specialist, NYU Langone Medical Center, Emily Schwartz, Program Manager, Arts Initiative at Columbia University, Aryana Anderson, Associate Producer, Amplify, Inc., Juan “Rick” Rosa, Executive Vice President and Managing Director of Douglas Elliman Real Estate, Hoong Yee Lee Krakauer, QCA Executive Director, Omar Solis, Founder, Digital Villain Studios, Queens Borough President Melinda Katz, Gianna Cerbone Teoli, Chef/Owner of Manducatis Rustica, Mònica Sarmiento Castillo, Assistant Director, Spanish Graduate Program, St. John’s University, Hal Rosenbluth, President, Kaufman Astoria Studios, Juvenal Reis, President, Reis Studios, Frank “Turtle” Raffaele, CEO & Founder, COFFEED, Nicole “Niki” Reiner, QCA Development Coordinator, and Lilian Chen. Photo Credit: Masud Grant 2015.

The Borough President presided over the swearing-in of the full board. Juan “Rick” Rosa, Executive Vice President and Managing Director of Douglas Elliman Real Estate in Long Island City, was inducted as a first year trustee and was joined with the recurring board trustees Catherine Lee, Senior Director, F&T Group; Juvenal Reis, President, Reis Studios; Hal Rosenbluth, President of Kaufman Astoria Studios, Inc.; Armando Soto, Senior Development Associate, Yenni Capital, Inc.; Victoria Schneps-Yunis, President, Schneps Communications; Frank “Turtle” Raffaele, Founder & CEO, COFFEED; Board Treasurer Maria Odysseos, Vice President & Branch Manager of Investors Bank; and Board President Gianna Cerbone Teoli, owner of Manducatis Rustica in Long Island City.

This year, QCA also inducted a new Junior Board of Trustees comprised of a variety of young professionals from diverse occupational fields and backgrounds who will be mentored by the Senior Board to become ambassadors for the organization, develop diverse leadership pipelines, and who bring new skills and perspectives to the boardroom table.

“We are truly grateful for Borough President Katz’s continuous support of the arts and cultures of Queens. Her mother’s legacy is carrier forward through her ongoing commitment to QCA.” – Hoong Yee Krakauer, Executive Director of QCA

Each QCA board member annually pledges to oversee fiscal operations, raise awareness and generate philanthropic support for the organization, which in turn helps support local artists throughout Queens County.

For more information visit: www.queenscouncilarts.org/

Queens Council on the Arts is the borough-wide arts council of Queens. The mission of Queens Council on the Arts is to foster, and develop the arts in Queens County and to support individual artists and arts organizations in presenting their cultural diversity for the benefit of the community.

(Long Island, NY) Suffolk County Police have arrested a Dix Hills woman for driving under the influence of alcohol with her child in her vehicle following a motor vehicle crash.

Cristi Rivas was driving a 2007 Mercedes Benz GL450 southbound on Straight Path when her vehicle rear-ended a 2013 Honda Odyssey, driven by Khizar Kharam, at approximately 6 p.m.

Suffolk County Police have arrested Cristi Rivas, 38, of Dix Hills for driving under the influence of alcohol with her child in her vehicle following a motor vehicle crash. Photo Credit: SCPD.

Rivas’ son, age 3, was in the vehicle and was taken to Good Samaritan Hospital Medical Center in West Islip for evaluation but did not appear injured. Kharam, 63, and Rivas, 38, were both transported to Good Samaritan Hospital with minor injuries.

Rivas, of Dix Hills, was charged with Aggravated Driving While Intoxicated with a Child Passenger 15 Years Old or Younger (Leandra’s Law), Driving While Intoxicated and Endangering the Welfare of a Child. She is scheduled to be arraigned November 1 at First District Court in Central Islip

The child was released to a family member.

The vehicle was impounded and the investigation is continuing. Detectives are asking anyone with information about this crash to call the First Squad at 631-854-8152.

The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty. Defendants are entitled to a fair trial with the burden on the prosecution to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.